Coming November 12, 2024
Buy now: Amazon Kindle
Read the First Two Chapters Below
The Lifestyle ~A Novel
Deanna Lynn Sletten
Book Description:
Her life was picture perfect…until it wasn’t.
What happens when a twist of fate makes all your dreams come
true, and then you watch your life unravel before you?
Eight years ago, Kylie Madison was a new mother with a baby
who rarely slept, even at eight months old. Exhausted and feeling isolated as a
stay-home mom while her husband, Jordon, worked twelve-hour shifts, she opened
up to her few friends on Instagram late one night, asking if there were any
other tired moms out there struggling. To her surprise, many women answered
her. After that night, she began to share her struggles, successes, and
parenting dilemmas, and her following grew as other women feel a connection
with her. Before Kylie knew it, she’s become an influencer and companies are
willing to pay her to promote their products. Slowly, her life becomes her job
and the earnings are amazing. But every silver lining has a dark cloud on the
horizon.
Eight years later, Kylie is successful and on the verge of
becoming a lifestyle guru with her own television show, but her past sneaks up
to threaten to take it all away. Her children hate being a part of their
mother’s brand, and her husband is pulling away from her. Then, the girl who
once worked for her as a nanny has written a tell-all book about Kylie and her
family, exposing secrets about their lifestyle that will ruin her. And there’s
nothing Kylie can do to stop her. Or is there?
Be careful what you wish for—it might just come true. And
when it does, will you be able to handle it?
Contemporary Women's Fiction
Release Date: November 12, 2024
Preorder Now:
Audiobook coming soon
Beautiful cover by Deborah Bradseth at DB Cover Design
Read the First Two Chapters Below:
Prologue
Eight Years Ago
Kylie Madison lay in bed against her pillows and watched her
precious eight-month-old boy, Cameron, sleeping peacefully beside her. It was
three in the morning, and she was exhausted. The mirror across from the bed
reflected a woman with her blond hair up in a messy bun and her blue eyes
bloodshot from being up all night with a crying baby. She didn’t look
twenty-five years old—Kylie thought she looked ancient. And she felt that way
too.
Kylie loved her little Cam more than anything else in the
world, but she wished she’d understood before having him that a baby was a
twenty-four-hour-a-day job. People tell you that you’ll be tired. They tell you
raising children is hard. But you don’t really listen until you’re in the muck
of it.
“I should have listened,” she said, sighing. “But I would
have wanted him anyway.”
If her husband was home more, maybe Kylie wouldn’t feel so
exhausted. But Jordon worked twelve-hour shifts, three nights a week as a
paramedic, and was wiped out when he was home. He also took extra shifts
because she wasn’t currently working. She couldn’t blame him for not being home
to help, but she still felt like she was all alone on this parenting journey.
Kylie was constantly tired, lonely, and even a little
depressed.
“You could go back to work,” Jordon suggested, which had
only made Kylie feel worse about herself. Before having Cameron, she’d worked
from home as a fact checker and writer for a very popular women’s website. Her
office was right down the hallway, and she could work in her pajamas if she
wanted to. Her boss had left it open for her to come back when she was ready.
But if she was this tired already, how could she possibly juggle the baby and a
demanding job? She’d decided before Cameron was born that she’d take one year
off work and see how it went. Sure, money was tight, but they were fine for
now. And since Cameron didn’t sleep through the night and rarely took a nap,
there was no time for Kylie to work.
And don’t even get her started on the cost of day care.
Not wanting to wake the baby yet feeling so overly drained that
she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep, Kylie picked up her phone from the
nightstand and started scrolling through Instagram. Months ago, she’d stared a
new account, hoping to share her journey as a new mom. She’d posted pics of
newborn Cameron coming home, plus a few pics of products she loved that she’d
purchased for the baby. In the back of her mind, she thought she might be able
to turn her Instagram into something more—maybe some type of family lifestyle
account. But as the days, weeks, and months melted together, she hadn’t kept up
with it. She’d been too busy and too tired to think of anything to post or
write about. It was another big fail for her.
Scrolling through the accounts she followed, all Kylie saw
were happy, smiling faces of people taking vacations, parents with their
beautifully dressed children, happy birthday parties, and fun date nights out.
It all depressed her even more.
Where were the tired, worn-down mothers? Where were the
women who worked hard all day just trying to keep up with their babies? Why did
everyone look so damned happy?
Glancing in the mirror again, Kylie grimaced. “Where are all
the mothers who look and feel like I do right now? This is the reality of
motherhood, not all those happy photos of everyone looking perfect.”
This gave Kylie an idea.
Turning her phone’s camera on herself, Kylie hit record.
“Hey, all you tired mothers out there who are up in the
middle of the night trying to get your babies and children back to sleep. It’s
me. Kylie,” she said in a quiet voice so as not to wake Cameron. “I just
got my little guy back to sleep, and now I’m wide awake. I’m sure you know how
that feels.
“For those who don’t know me, I’ve been married for two
years to my college sweetheart, Jordon, and we have an eight-month-old baby,
Cameron. My husband works really hard, and I spend my days and nights as a
full-time mom. Honestly, I thought my days would be filled with happy,
picture-perfect moments as my son grew. And most days are amazing if I’m not
too tired to enjoy them. But I never expected one little baby to be so much
work. Did you?
“Well, I just wanted to check in with all the mothers out
there to let you know you’re not alone at three in the morning. I’m here, too.
And I mean all mothers—whether you are a stay-home mom or a working mom. I take
my hat off to all of you. This is the hardest job of all, and I can’t even
imagine how hard it is when you have to get up for work in the morning after a
long night up with the kids. Just know you aren’t alone.” She hesitated a
moment as the camera rolled. “Is anyone else out there? I’d love to hear
from you.
“Goodnight.” #tiredmoms #sleepymoms
Kylie sighed and put her phone back on the nightstand. She
smiled down at her pudgy little boy who was a busy, crawling baby and who was
already trying to walk. Now, if only she could get him to sleep all night.
She pushed pillows all around her baby to make sure he was
safe and then fell asleep beside him as soon as her head hit her pillow.
Eight Years Ago
Kylie awoke with a start at six a.m. to Cameron crying
beside her. Sighing, she fell back on her pillows and scooped up her twenty-one-pound
bundle. “Shush,” she cooed softly. “Mommy’s here.”
After Cam calmed down, Kylie grabbed her phone and stumbled
out to the kitchen with the baby. With only three hours of sleep, she needed
coffee—quick. Getting a bottle for Cam, she placed him in his highchair next to
her at the small counter and then made a cup of coffee. As she sat there, she
picked up her phone, already regretting what she’d posted the night before. She’d
looked awful and sounded whiny. Opening her Instagram account to delete the
video, she was shocked to see she had over one-hundred replies to her video and
had gained forty new followers.
“I’m with you, girl,” one young mother replied. “You’re
not alone in this. I’m up with a newborn and a two-year-old as I type this.
Take care of yourself.”
“Oh, boy,” another woman wrote. “You said it all!
No one warns you that you won’t sleep for the first two years! I totally get
you.”
“Stop complaining,” someone else wrote. “At least
you don’t have to go to work on top of it all. I have three kids and a job,
too. Whiner!”
Kylie cringed. She’d expected there to be haters on this
post, so that’s why she was going to delete it. But the more replies she read,
the less she wanted to take down the video. Women all over the country, the
world even, had understood how she felt and sympathized with her. Not that she
wanted people to feel sorry for her. Kylie had just wanted to connect with
women who understood what she was going through.
By eight-thirty, when her husband, Jordon, came home from
working his twelve-hour shift, Kylie had gained over one-hundred and fifty new
followers, and the video had been viewed over three-thousand times.
“Can you believe this?” Kylie asked Jordon as he grabbed
leftovers out of the fridge to eat before heading to bed. “I posted one video
about being up late with the baby last night and I’ve had this many people
responding to me.”
“That’s nice,” Jordon said offhandedly. He yawned. “I’m
beat. And I took a shift tonight, so I need to sleep.”
Kylie’s shoulders sagged. “I had hoped you’d be home tonight.
You’ve worked four nights in a row, and I need help with Cam.”
“Sorry, hon,” he said, kissing her cheek. “But we need the
money.” He went off to the bedroom to drop into bed.
Kylie sighed. Cameron was sitting up on the floor beside a
pile of blocks that she’d been stacking for him. With a swipe of his hand, Cam
knocked down the pile and laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world.
“You little monkey,” Kylie said, smiling.
Later that afternoon, Cam fell asleep while watching Sesame
Street, so Kylie covered him with a blanket and laid down on the sofa near him.
She was exhausted and needed to sleep. But curiosity swept over her, and she
checked her Instagram account to see if she had any more comments.
She sat up, shocked. The video had been seen ten thousand
times and her followers had increased by fifteen hundred. There were over one
thousand comments now. It was insane! Kylie looked through each comment, liking
them so the follower would know she’d read it. There were a few mean comments,
but she ignored them. On the whole, the comments were encouraging, and there
were so many women who completely understood how she felt, plus a few stay-home
dads as well. Kylie felt like she did have a community out there who understood
her.
Sitting up straighter on the sofa, Kylie checked her hair to
make sure she looked okay and then turned on the video on her phone.
“I just want to thank everyone who had an encouraging
comment on my last video,” she said. “It made me feel like I’m not alone
in this, and I love that feeling. My baby woke me up at six this morning after
only three hours of sleep, so I’m sure you can all relate to that. But luckily,
he’s taking a nap right now, and I’m thankful that I’m able to take one too. I’ll
post more later. Tell me how your day is going.” #babyissleeping #tiredmom
#thankfulforyouall
Kylie laid down, feeling better than she had in months. She
thought it was amazing how just a little interaction with others who understood
your life could lift your spirits. She fell asleep instantly.
Later, while she and Jordon were eating dinner, Kylie
brought up her Instagram account again.
“Can you believe I’ve gained so many followers just because
of two videos?” she asked him. “I have over thirty-five hundred new followers,
and even the second video had over five hundred comments.”
“Wow,” Jordon said, taking a bite of spaghetti. “That’s a
lot of women who have nothing better to do.”
“What?” Kylie was shocked. “These are women and a few men
who stay home taking care of their children all day so their spouses can work.
I wouldn’t call that having nothing else to do.”
“Sorry,” Jordon said, looking chastised. “I shouldn’t have
said it that way. I’m just saying that if they were busy, they wouldn’t have
time for social media. I certainly don’t while I’m working.”
Cameron sat in his highchair, trying to pick up a few cut-up
noodles to shove into his mouth. Most of it fell back on the tray.
Kylie wiped Cam’s mouth and tried to entice him with a
spoonful of mashed peas. But Cam wanted to eat the noodles.
“These are women who feel isolated because they’re home
alone all day with kids,” Kylie said. “They’re looking for a community of women
just like them. Believe me, they’re busy. I know I am all day while you sleep
and then all night while you’re gone.”
Jordon sighed. “I have to work. And I don’t want to fight. I
know you being home with Cam is a good thing and I agreed to it. I didn’t mean
to upset you.”
Cam lost interest in his noodles and began banging his sippy
cup on the plastic tray. Droplets of milk sprayed all over.
“Cam!” Jordon stood up and wiped his shirt. “You’re supposed
to drink the stuff in the cup, not spray people with it, little guy.”
Kylie giggled. “At least he targeted you.”
Jordon smiled. He looked adorable when he smiled. Neither of
them smiled as much these days because they were both so tired. Kylie missed
the days when they could go out to dinner on a whim or have a weekend out with
friends. Not that she’d give up Cam for anything; she adored him, but she had
to admit their life was easier before the baby came along.
“What happened to the mother’s group you used to go to once
a week with Cam? Wasn’t that a good way to connect with people?” Jordon asked,
sitting down again.
Kylie shrugged. She hadn’t felt comfortable with the women
in the group. Most had known each other for years, so she’d felt like an
outsider. “I guess I’m not a group type of person.”
Jordon chuckled. “No, I guess a woman who worked from home
writing isn’t exactly a people person. Remember how you said you wanted to
write more now that you’re home full-time? You should start doing that while
Cameron sleeps.”
“Great idea if Cameron would ever sleep,” Kylie said. “I
have to catch up on sleep when he finally does. No matter how hard I try to get
him on a schedule, he still wakes when he wants and sleeps when he wants.
Writing takes concentration. I don’t get much time to myself to do that.”
Jordon nodded, but Kylie doubted he really understood how
much work caring for Cam was.
After dinner, Jordon laid down for a nap before work—how
nice, she thought—while Kylie stacked the dishwasher as Cam played with the
plastic containers and a wooden spoon on the floor. After starting the
dishwasher, she sat at the counter and checked her Instagram account. Even more
women had followed her and there were more comments. Too many to answer. This
was crazy.
Brushing her fingers through her blond hair to make it
presentable, Kylie turned the camera on herself again.
“Hi, everyone,” she said, smiling. “It’s amazing
what a little sleep and food can do for your psyche. Do any of you ever feel
like your spouse doesn’t understand how hard raising a child is? They don’t
believe that it’s actually work.” She sighed. “Oh well. I know we work
hard. Meanwhile,” she pointed the camera toward Cameron and filmed him
beating containers with his spoon. “Have you found your child likes to play
with household items more than the expensive toys we give them? It’s crazy, but
this has entertained him for at least fifteen minutes. Show me what items your
children love playing with.” #childrenstoys #playingwithkitchenutensils
#sillythingskidsdo
She turned off the camera and posted it to her account. “If
only I could get paid for doing this,” she told Cameron. “That would be fun.”
That night, after Jordon left for work, Cameron was so tired
he went to bed in his own crib by nine o’clock. Kylie prayed he’d sleep through
the night like so many other women said their babies do.
After taking a shower, she lay in bed with the baby monitor
on the nightstand and scanned through the many comments on her latest post.
Women shared pics of their children playing with boxes, kitchen utensils, and
an array of household items. One woman showed her eighteen-month-old son using
the lightweight vacuum mop and cleaning the kitchen floor. “I’ll take any
help I can get,” the woman wrote, adding a smiley face. Kylie laughed. Kids
loved playing with the strangest things.
After replying to several comments the women sent her, Kylie
noticed she’d received a message in Messenger. She clicked on it, and her eyes
grew wide when she saw it was from a product manager from Cuddles Baby
Products.
Good evening, Kylie. I saw your Instagram videos and was
pleased to see you have an attentive following of mothers such as yourself. As
a representative for Cuddles Baby Products, I’d like to send you a few
products, such as our lavender-scented baby bubble bath and lotion for you to
try and see if it will help your little one sleep better at night. If you find
you like the products, we’d love for you to leave an honest review. If you’d
like to try the products, just let me know, and I’ll send them out. Have a
great evening, Marcia Frank.
Kylie was shocked. Cuddles Baby Products was a major brand.
The fact that she had seen her Instagram account and offered her free products
was huge.
She quickly replied that she’d love to try the products and
wrote down her address. “This is fun,” she said aloud, smiling widely. And it
lifted her spirits. If she could continue posting one or two posts a day, maybe
Kylie could make something out of this social media account.
Kylie fell asleep feeling positive for the first time in a
long while.
